A control system such as this comprises an Engine Control Unit (or ECU) connected by a serial bus to a Valve Control Unit (or VCU) itself connected to electromagnetic valve actuators. The Engine Control Unit is designed to define, particularly as a function of the engine speed and load, valve control instructions that it transmits on the serial bus in a single frame with information relating to engine operation such as engine speed and temperature. The control instructions comprise valve movement modes, valve opening angles and valve closing angles. The Valve Control Unit receives this frame and, on the basis of the control instructions contained in the frame, formulates valve driving instructions that it transmits individually to each valve actuator. The architecture of this system makes it difficult for motor manufacturers to adapt it to suit various types of engine, particularly when the number of cylinders differs from one engine to another, because this then entails reprogramming the Engine Control Unit and changing the Valve Control Unit for a model suited to the number of actuators that need to be controlled. Furthermore, the Valve Control Unit sends back to the Engine Control Unit a single frame containing, on the one hand, information indicating whether or not the control instructions have actually been applied and, on the other hand, information relating to the operation of the Valve Control Unit. With this control system architecture it is difficult to feed back individualized information regarding the operation of the actuators.